By Clifton Ross

CRICKET West Indies (CWI) Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams called for players to focus more on raising their fitness levels, following the recent omissions of the in-form duo of Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis ahead of the upcoming Sri Lanka series.

Both Lewis and Hetmyer were left out of the Windies squad who will travel to Sri Lanka in a few days, following the pair of left-handers failing to attain the new required fitness level marks.

Adams, a former West Indies captain/wicketkeeper, told Chronicle Sport during his visit to Guyana yesterday ahead of Round 4’s Jaguars/Scorpions bout; that the new fitness standards will make players more durable and match-fit in the future, as CWI seeks to raise the standards of fitness across the region.

“There has always been a fitness policy implemented by the board; players have been aware that this aspect of the policy would have been implemented with some of them expecting it sooner. The only difference is that going back to about September 2018, the board decided to tie in the fitness standards for selection,” said Adams.

A veteran of 127 ODIs and 54 Tests during the 90s, Adams confirmed that the new mark of the YO-YO fitness test is a minimum of 40. That score, according to Adams is the CWI’s benchmark for selection but he added that players can set personal targets as he wants to see the Yo-Yo Tests yielding scores of 50 or more in the future.

“We wanted to make sure that everything was in place in terms of transparency. It’s unfortunate that some players have not met the minimal standards indicated to them, but hopefully we can get them up to that standard as soon as possible,” stated the director.

Despite higher fitness standards being implemented these days, Adams said the response, however, has been great throughout the region as most of the Caribbean players are now statistically above the required level and that’s something the CWI expects more of.

He closed by referencing Test batsman John Campbell who scored runs in Ireland but was unable to meet the fitness requirements needed to perform at the highest level and as such was omitted from the team. This strategy according to Adams is crucial as it outlines the importance of remaining fit as well as in playing form.

“We can’t afford to have our best players not being out on the park, so I’m looking forward to seeing these lads keep their fitness levels where it should be and make sure that we can keep them on the park longer,” Adams ended.